We had no problem removing the FELs for mowing but reinstalling it can be a bear. Looking for some advice. My guess is that my significant other does not run the RPMs at a high enough speed to get the hydraulic system balanced. We seem to end up with one of the attaching arms (the ones through which you stick the pins) at a different angle than the other. He religiously relieves pressure on the lines before starting to reattach. Got any ideas or advice that might help? Again, the two rear arms, through which you push the attaching pins end up at slightly different angles some how. One will seat nicely and the other won't (keeps slipping out of the saddle it fits into because the angle is back, towards the front end). Spent over an hour fighting with it yesterday. My significant other is 81, recently out of the hospital, and a bulldog when it comes to being thwarted. I had to pull the keys to get him to rest as he was shaking all over. Not healthy for either of us. It's been his dream to own a pieces of equipment for years. We are now in about the 4th-5th year of owning this unit, it's just perfect for him.
Fighting to reinstall FELs on BX1830
- Thread starter Jerseygirl01
- Start date
When removing and reinstalling any detachable front end loader, it's imperative that it is sitting square and level to the tractor attachment points. I take either of mine off my M's on a poured concrete pad.
Taking one off on the dirt or on a surface that compacts is asking for an issue. I know, been in your situation before and my loaders are a lot bigger than yours are.
If you must remove one on dirt or a grass covered surface, I'd suggest placing the stabilizing feet on wooden planks.
Taking one off on the dirt or on a surface that compacts is asking for an issue. I know, been in your situation before and my loaders are a lot bigger than yours are.
If you must remove one on dirt or a grass covered surface, I'd suggest placing the stabilizing feet on wooden planks.
We remove the FELs inside our garage so it is on a level concrete surface. It's definitely flat and solid.
BigG
Well-known member
Equipment
l2501, FEL, BB, Rotary cutter, rake,spreader, roller, etc. New Holland TL80 A
I know that I am speaking out of turn but do you have neighborhood or family kid that might benefit from spending some time helping out? A plate of cookies or a good meal might be enough to help each other out. I was once a middle school teacher and several of my students would have benefited from some attention and guidance since the parents were to busy to pay attention.
Go by the high school and ask the shop teacher if he has a student that might help
Go by the high school and ask the shop teacher if he has a student that might help
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You are so correct BigG. Just haven't got that in our immediate neighborhood. However, as the 71 year old "kid" in the family, I did end up solving the problem today. Here is your laugh for the weekend. Everything looked great except the one side just would not sit down enough to put the pin through. Other side was fine. I think there is a quote from Sherlock Holmes regarding the simplest answer being correct. Simplest idea was that something was holding it up from seating (not the hydraulic system). Got out a flashlight and found one of the hydraulic cap straps leading to the saddle, ergo the rest of the cap was underneath. Hubby curled the bucket, I pulled out the very crushed blue cap, he dumped the bucket and everything lined up. Easy Peasy if there isn't something in the way. Problem solved for today but the problem of why sometimes the two sides don't have the same angles sitting down into the saddles remains. I did get him to up the rpms. Can't hurt. Thanks for your help. I do have a feeler out for a kid to do lawn work as we are woefully behind this year. Also going to have the local garage do the fall maintenance on the Kubota before it gets to be snowplowing time. I did the maintenance on our Cub Cadet two weeks ago. I'm pretty handy with a wrench, a bit younger, and slightly more flexible. Again, thanks so much. Who'd a thunk it - a hose cap!!
Glad you found the issue.
A flat solid surface is the best. Unfortunately I don't have any of those here either. I started using an old but sturdy pallet to put my FEL on. That worked fine....until I bought a Piranha tooth bar and every time I curl the bucket I rip up the pallet. As far as the unbalanced system goes, if one arm is restricted the other one does what it wants. Sometimes you can pin one and then work the hydraulics to get the other one in line. I have gotten in situations where I actually had to jack up the tractor to get everything lined up. That was before I actively looked for the smoothest spot to take the FEL off upon.
A small concrete pad would work the best if you can swing it. Compacted gravel would work unless you have a tooth bar (like I do)
But practice makes perfect. Once you have done it enough you will wonder how it ever gave you problems.
God speed.
A flat solid surface is the best. Unfortunately I don't have any of those here either. I started using an old but sturdy pallet to put my FEL on. That worked fine....until I bought a Piranha tooth bar and every time I curl the bucket I rip up the pallet. As far as the unbalanced system goes, if one arm is restricted the other one does what it wants. Sometimes you can pin one and then work the hydraulics to get the other one in line. I have gotten in situations where I actually had to jack up the tractor to get everything lined up. That was before I actively looked for the smoothest spot to take the FEL off upon.
A small concrete pad would work the best if you can swing it. Compacted gravel would work unless you have a tooth bar (like I do)
But practice makes perfect. Once you have done it enough you will wonder how it ever gave you problems.
God speed.
Feel your pain. The first time I removed the fel and reinstalled it, I about turned into a sailor. The next time I wrote down every step off and on. If I saw I needed to do something different, I wrote it down. Now where did I put those instructions????
ipz2222 - I actually took two xerox copies of the FELs remove/reinstall instructions, slipped them into plastic sleeves, and they hang in the garage bay where we do the work. I think we review them every time we mow (when we take the FELs off) and still run into trouble. Our success rate is very erratic. We've had up to 12 off/on with no problems in a row and then something happens and it's nothing but struggles. We too have some annotations that we've added to the instructions.
Missouribound - we too have a Piranha Bar. Love it. We bought the FELs dolly from Bxpanded and it really was a big help. Much easier to line the FELs up by just wheeling it into place. Plus, we have to evict our pickup truck from the garage bay when working on the tractor. With the FELs on the dolly, we can wheel it around or even out of the garage. Of course, you do need a concrete surface for it to work well. The Piranha Bar scratches up the dolly a bit but nothing serious. The dolly reminds me of the old Castro Convertible sofa commercial - so easy a child can do it.
There is an upside to these kind of problems. After we succeeded, my husband offered to take me out to supper. Drove past three restaurants I chose, only to find all of them quite busy. Settled on large ice cream cones and a wildlife ride in the country. 5 deer, 2 mastiffs, 2 fancy bunnies. We take this ride all the time so we know where to look for the "domestic" animals. The deer were wild.
Missouribound - we too have a Piranha Bar. Love it. We bought the FELs dolly from Bxpanded and it really was a big help. Much easier to line the FELs up by just wheeling it into place. Plus, we have to evict our pickup truck from the garage bay when working on the tractor. With the FELs on the dolly, we can wheel it around or even out of the garage. Of course, you do need a concrete surface for it to work well. The Piranha Bar scratches up the dolly a bit but nothing serious. The dolly reminds me of the old Castro Convertible sofa commercial - so easy a child can do it.
There is an upside to these kind of problems. After we succeeded, my husband offered to take me out to supper. Drove past three restaurants I chose, only to find all of them quite busy. Settled on large ice cream cones and a wildlife ride in the country. 5 deer, 2 mastiffs, 2 fancy bunnies. We take this ride all the time so we know where to look for the "domestic" animals. The deer were wild.